Control and indicating means



1952 H. T. MARCY ETAL 2,615,490

CONTROL AND INDICATING MEANS Filed on. s, 1949 2 SlfiETS-Sl-IEET 1 lll 4 9% m 12) 30 a E o Fl 5. l

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ALI E 26 (D m 28 IN VEN T0 5' T MAYER N F. REEVES B Y W A TTOR/VEVS Oct. 28. 1952 H. T. MARCY ETAL 2,615,490

CONTROL AND INDICATING MEANS Filed Oct. 5, 1949 2 smE'rs-smm 2 Q Q Q m lllllllll l. mmmmmi mzmmmmmmmmmmm Illllllll ll llll llll IHI A T7'OEWEVS Patented Oct. 28, 1952 CONTROL AND I NDICATING MEANS Henry Tyler Marcy, Staten Island, N. Y., Ernest Mayer, Jersey City, N. J., and John F. Reeves, Staten Island, N. Y., assignors to The M. W. Kellogg (30., J erseyCity, N. J a corporation of Delaware Application October 5, 1949, Serial No. 119,678 (01. 153-32) 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to control and indicating means and specifically pertains to control and indicating means particularly adapted for use with an apparatus for bending thermoplastic bodies in predetermined increments.

In application Serial No. 27,978, filed May 19, 1948, by Frederick A. Fitchmueller, for Method and Apparatus for Bending Pipe, thereis disclosed an apparatus capable of bending pipe in predetermined increments to a predetermined curvature. The apparatus dis-closed in the above cited application comprises means for holding a length of pipe in a substantially vertical position, a stress applying beam member adapted to be attached to the upper end of the pipe, means for. applying a'bending force to the stress applying beam member, and a plurality of burners adapted to oscillate up and down along the pipe to heat predetermined increments of relatively narrow, circumferential bands thereon to a predetermined temperature. When a circumferential band has been heated to a temperature such that the material thereof is capable of substantially uniform plastic flow, bending, forces are applied thereto by means of the stress applying beam member to cause the heated band to be bent a predetermined amount. I 1

It is desirable to have some means for controlling the oscillation of the burnersto insure that the width of the bands is accurately maintained, that they are accurately located along the length of pipe, and that the material of said bands is heated uniformly throughout their widths.

yIt is also desirable that means be provided to indicate when the stress applying beam member has moved througha distance sufficient to impart a desired predetermined bend to the increment being shaped. I

Accordingly it is one object of the present inventionto provide an apparatus capable of indicating the degree of bend that has been applied to a section of material being shaped incrementally. I

I It is another object of the present invention to provide a control apparatus for aiding the incremental shaping of thermoplastic bodies by regulating the width of band heated and by measuring the angle towhich each incremental band is bent.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a control and indicating'meanssuitable for use with an apparatus of the type disclosed in application Serial No. 27,978, wherein said means regulates the width of increment heated and indicates when a predetermined degree of shaping has een applied to said incre- It is a further object of the present invention to provide a control and indicating means suitable foruse with an apparatus of the type disclosed in application Serial No. 27,978, wherein positioning the burners of said apparatus sets the control and indicating means to indicate continuously or selectively the desired angle of bend which must be imparted to the new increment. 1

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus possessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein,

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation of an apparatus of the type disclosed in application Serial No. 27,978 and showing the control and indicating means of the present invention, operatively connected thereto;

Fig, 2 is a similar diagrammatic elevation partly in section taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of thearrows; and

' Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of: the control and indicating means of the present invention.

When thermoplastic bodies are bent or shaped by, incremental bending, a plurality of increments are each bent or shaped through a predetermined angle, and the totalbending or shaping of the body is the sum of the'bending or shaping that is applied to, or imposed upon, each of the plurality of increments. When an apparatus of the type disclosed in application Serial No. 27,978 is employed to incrementally bend or shape a thermoplastic body, the stress applying beam member will have a predetermined slope prior to shaping or bendingeach increment, and will have a di-fferent slope or angle when the increment has been bent or shaped as desired. It is, therefore, possible to control the bending or shaping of a thermoplastic body in an aparatus of this type by comparing its slope with the slope it must assume when the particular increment being operated upon has been bent the desired amount.

The indicating and control means of the present invention is capable of comparing the slope of the stress applying beamwith the predetermined slope that it must assume'when the increment is bent as desired and indicatingwhen said predetermined slope has beenattainedi The indicating and control means is also cap-able of automatically resetting itself, when the bending or shaping apparatus is reset to bend or shape subsequent increments, to indicate the slope that the stress applying beam must assume to correctly shape the new increment. The indicating and control means of the present invention is also capable of controlling the movement of the means employed to heat each incremental band to insure that each band is heated uniformly throughout its width and to also insure that each increment is the desired predetermined width.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of an apparatus for incrementally bending thermoplastic bodies. The bending apparatus disclosed in Fig. l is generally similar to the apparatus disclosed in the above mentioned application Serial No. 27, 978, and comprises a base member ID and a stress applyingbeam I2 adapted to engage and be fastenedirespectively to the opposite ends of a thermoplastic body I4 that is to be bent or shaped. Means are provided, such as hydraulic cylinder 15, for applying a bending force to stress applying beam I2 which in turn appliesabending force to thermoplastic body I4. A'plu'rali-ty of high temperature burners I8 (only one being shown for purposes of clarity) are adjustably carried by frame member 25 for movement longitudinally along thermoplastic body I4. Burners I8 and frame are. moved up and down along thermoplasticbody I4 by meansof screw threaded rods 22 which. are rotated by means of a reversible motor24 acting through areduction gear 25 and sprocket chains 28.

Burners I8 can be raised'o'r'lowered'alongtherm'oplastic body I4 by controlling the direction of rotation of motor 24'. When the apparatus is in operation, burners I8 are oscillated up and down along thermoplastic body I4 a distance equal to the width of the increment or unit band' that is being bent, to insure said increment or unit'band being heated evenly throughout its width. 'Each increment or band that is bent or shaped will c'ause'stress applying beam I2 to assume a different slope. If the slope that said stress applying beam [2 will-assume is known, the radius ofcurvature that isapplied to thermoplastic body I4 can be accurately controlled by bending each increment or band until stress applying beam I2 assumes the predetermined slope.

Fig. 2is anelevationalview partly in section of a slope measuring andindicating means which is mounted on stress applying beam I2. Slope measuring and indicating means 30 is comprised of shaft 32 which carries and is rotated by a derangeable or balancing means such as pendulum 34. Gear 36 is carried by shaft'32 and is enmeshed with gear 38 which is connected to the rotor of synchro transmitter 40, so that the rotation of shaft 32 causes rota-tion in synchro transmitter 40. The ratio of gear-36 to gear 38 is such that the rotation of shaft 32 is magnified in the order of about 6 to 1 so that a slight rotation of shaft 32 produces an'ap-preciable rotation in synchro transmitter and thus increases the accuracy of slope measuring and indicating means 30.

It will be seen that'as stress applying beam I2 rotates through a predeterminedangleof are as a given increment of thermo'plasticbody I4 is bent or shaped, pendulum '34 will causerotation in synchro transmitter 40, causing transmission of a signal that can be calibrated in terms of the slope or angle of stress applying beam I2. The signal transmitted .by synchro transmitter 40 is fed to the stator of control transformer 42 which is located remote from slope measuring and indicating means 30, preferably adjacent the manual controls for the bending apparatus. (See Fig. 3.)

It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that pendulum 34 can be mounted in a gimbal and with the same basic instrumentation, the control and indicating means can be used for 3-dimensional bends. Moreover, other derangeable or balancing means such as a gyroscope assembly can be substituted for the pendulum to cause rotation of shaft 32.

When synchro transmitter 40 and control transformer 42 are in balance, the voltage across the rotor of control transformer 42 is zero; when they are not in balance, there is a voltage across the rotor of control transformer 42. It will therefore be seen that if the rotor of control transformer 42 is rotated to place control transformer 42 out of balance with synchro transmitter 40, the rotor of synchro transmitter 40 can be rotated to bring synchro transmitter 40 back in balance with control transformer 42. Therefore, if the rotor of control transformer 42 is rotated an amount correspondin to the angle that it is necessary for stress applying beam'IZ to pass through, to bend one increment a predetermined amount, the increment of thermoplastic body I4 being shaped has been bent the predetermined desired amount when synchro transmitter 40, is brought back into balance with control transformer 42, by the rotation of stress applying beam I2.

The signal voltage generated by the rotor of control transformer 42 is fed to galvanometer 39 through phase sensitive rectifier 4 I. An alternating reference voltage is supplied tophase sensitive rectifier M by tapping the same power-line that provides an alternating voltage to excite the rotor of synchro transmitter 40, and passing the voltage thus obtained through a phase shift network 43 prior to feeding it into said rectifier; The phase shift network43 operates on the voltage and compensates for' the phase shift that occurs in synchro transmitter 40 and control transformer 42 to place it in phase with-the signal voltage from the rotor of controltransformerfl. Phase sensitiverectifier 4| supplies galvanometer 39 with a D. C. voltage that is proportional'to the signal voltage from control transformer and which has apolarity determined by the phase of the signalvoltage with respect to the phase of the reference voltage. It will therefore be seen that it is possible to tell from the position of the needle of galvanometer 39 whether synchro-trans"- mitter 40 and control transformer-42 areinbalance, or if the rotor of synchro transmitter has not rotated far enough to bring them in balance, or if it has rotated past the balance point. "Since phase sensitive rectifier 4I and'phase' shift net'- work 43 "do not, per se, comprise the present invention, and inasmuch as there are several prior art circuits capable of functioning in the above described manner, they are not described in detail.

The control and indicating means of the present invention is connected to reduction. gear 26 by means of flexible shaft 44, and means; to be explained more in detail hereinafter,"arel'pro videdwhereby lowering burners III to ,a new unit increment or band on thermoplastic body I4 causes the rotor of control transformer 421 to be rotated at predetermined amount so'that .itwill indicate the angle or slope, stressapplyingbeam I 2 must assume when the new increment'or band has been bent the correct amount j Flexible shaft 44 is coupled directly to shaft 43 which carries a differential, comprising gears 48 and 58, which are mounted for rotation on shaft 48, and spider gears 52 and 54 meshed with gears 48 and 58, respectively, and fixedlymounted on shaft 56 which in turn is rotatably mounted in arm 58 rigidly attached to shaft 46. Looking means 68 is-pivotally mounted adjacent gears 48 and 58 for selectively locking either gear 48 or gear 58. When locking means 68 is rocked to engage and lock gear 58, spider gear 54 is forced to roll around gear 58. This causes gear 52 to rotate, and gear 52 in turn rotates gear 48. Gear 48 drivesgear 62 which, through flexible shaft 84, rotates gear 68 and 88 and shaft 18. Shaft I8, operating through a series of reduction gears l2,rotates the rotor of control transformer 42. Gears 66 and 88 are made readily interchangeable with others so that the amount the rotor of control transformer 42 is rotated for each rotation of fiexibleshaft 44 can be set at any predetermined amount. This makes it ossible to set the control and indicating means of the present invention to control any predetermined radius of bend in thermoplastic bodyv I4. It is a natural extension of this that a continuously variable ratio could be used and so programmed as .to introduce any desired single plane shape to the thermoplastic body.

' Flexible shaft 64 extends through gear 66 and is connected to a counter 14 that is calibrated to give thetotal number of increments that have 14 and dial 82 respectively the total number of. increments that will have been bent or shaped,-

and the total angle of are through which those increments will have been bent, the differences in the readings on the counter and dial being determined by rior calculation.

When locking means 88 is rocked so that it looks gear 48 and releases gear 58, spider gears 52 and 54 then cause gear 58 to rotate. Gear 58 drives gear 84 which is fixedly mounted on and rotates shaft 88. A portion of shaft 88 is threaded to form lead screw 88 which engages nut 98. A lug 92 is formed on nut 98 and is adapted to engage and actuate electrical switches 94 and 96. Switch 94 is fixedlymounted, while switch 96 is adjustably carried by adjusting screw 98 for movement towards or away from switch 94. Switches 94 and 98 are connected to, motor control relays located in motor control box I88.

After control transformer 42 has been set in the above described manner and locking means 68 has been rocked to lock gear 48 and release gear 58, motor 24 is started by means of manual switches I82, and burners I8 are ignited. Motor 24 through reduction gears 25 and sprocket chains 28 cause burners I8 to travel either up or down along thermoplastic body I4. At the same time flexible shaft 44, transmitting power through shaft 46 and gears 58 and 84, causes lead screw 88 to rotate and move nut 98. When lug 92 engages one of the electrical switches 94 or 98, motor 24 is caused to reverse by reason of switch 94 or 96'actuating motor control relays. The reversal of motor 24 causes burners I8 to travel along thermoplastic body I4 in the 0pposite direction, and also causes leadscrew 88 to rotate in the opposite direction causing nut 98 to reverse its direction until it contacts and actuates the other of switches 94 or 98,causing motor 24 to again reverse. I8 along thermoplastic body I4 ispermitted to continue untilthe increment of thermoplastic body I4 under burners I8 has been heated to the predetermined degree, and bent through the predetermined angle or are as indicatedby control transformer 42 and galvanometer 39. I

In one form of manual operation, when galvanometer 39 indicates that the increment has been bent through the desired angle of arc, burners I8 are shut off, motor 24 is stopped by manual switch I82, locking means 68 is rocked to lock gear, 58 and-release gear 48, and motor 241s started by means of manual switches I82 to,

lower burners I8 the predetermined desired amount, indicated on dial 82 or counter 14, and to setcontrol transformer 42 Theabove describedcycle is repeated until thermoplastic body I4 has been bent or shaped the desired total amount.

The width of the incrementalband on thermo- A second counter I84 is coupled to gear 58 by means of gear I86 and is calibrated to give the number of inches that burners I8oscillate up and down along thermoplastic body I4. A disc or target I88 is carriedby an extension of'shaft 48 and serves as an indicating means to notify the operator of the apparatus whether or not motor 24 is running. I i I The structure as disclosed herein can be modified readily to obtain automatic operation of the machine: e. g. suitable connections can be made between rectifier M and either pressure or temperature control means in place of galvanometer 38. If so operated, the pressure would be applied continuously,-suificient in magnitude, to attain the desired bend for the instantaneous position of the heated increments. Likewise the temperature of the heated increment may be used tocontrol the amount of heat released by the burners which are moved. ata constant rate; or alternately the heat released by the burners may be constant and the rate of'travel of the burners be controlled by the temperature of the heated increment.

Since certain changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or-shown in the accona panying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not limitative.

' What is claimed is:

l. Indicating and control means in combination with an apparatus adapted to incrementally shape thermoplastic bodies and including a stress applying member adapted to rotate through a" predetermined angle of arc to shape an increment of a thermoplastic body a predetermined amount and means adapted to move along said body to heat the material thereof to a temperature whereat it can be shaped by the force exerted by said stress applying member, comprising signal generating means carried by said stress applying member, a signal receiving means electrically This oscillation of burnersv connected to saidzsignal generating means; and

means. connectedztosaidaheatingv means fonpredeterminedly displacing components. of said last.

mentioned means accordance Withthe'movementof said. heating means to .thereby indicate the angular dispositionsof .said stress applying.

member atthe end of the shaping increment correspondingto a respective position ofzsaid-heating' means.

'2. In combi'nationlwith antapparatusadatpted to incrementally sham-thermoplastic bodies .and having a stress applyingmemberadaptedto r'ota'te through apredetermine-dangleiof arcto successively shape a plurality ofrincrements of a thermoplastic bodya predetermined arnountiand means-adapted to movealong said :body to heat the 'material thereof to a temperature whereat it can be shaped bythe" force exerted by said stress applying member, indicating-and control means'comprising derangeable means carried by said stress applying member; signal-generating means also carried bysaid'member and adapted tobe actuated by said derangeable means as said member is rotated, control means connected to said signal generating-means; and I means connected'to said heating means for-indicating a control quantity on said control means. i

3. Indicatingand control means foren'apparatus adapted to incrementally shape thermoplastic bodies; andincludingastress applying member adapted to rotate through apredetermined angle of ,arc'toshape an increment of I a thermoplastic body'a predeterminedamount and' means adapted;to move along said body to heat the material thereof to a temperature whereat it can-be shaped by theforce exerted by said stress-applyingmember, comprising, a derangeable means carried by said stress applying 'member; -a-transmitting mechanism also carried by said stress applying member and adapted to be actuatedby said derangeable means as said member is rotated-control'means electricallyconnected to said mechanism, and means connected to said heating means for-affecting saidcontrol means-prior to the rotation of saidstress applying member.

4. In combination with an apparatus adapted toincrementally shape thermoplastic bodiesand having a stress applying memberadapted to rotatethrough a predetermined angle of arc to successively shape'a-plurality of increments of 'a thermoplastic body a predetermined: amount, heating means, and means adapted to move said heating means along said body to successively heat .said. plurality of increments: substantially uniformly throughout their widths; and. to movesaid heating .means. along said body. to successive increments; indicating and control means comprising, a balancing means carried by; saidstress applying member, signalling means also carried by said stress applying. member-and adapted to be affected by said balancing means as said member is rotated, a controlmechanism connected electrically to said signalling means, and means coupled to said means formovingsaid heating means for actuating said control-mechanismprior to the rotation of saidstress applying member.

5. .Indicatingland control means. for an apparatusadapted. to incrementallyshape.thermoplastic bodies and having a-stressapplying member adapted to rotate through a predetermined angle of arcto successively: shape-a plurality of increments aof :a thermoplastic :body a predetermined amount; heatingmeans; and means adapted to.

move said: heatin meansalong saidbody to suecessively heat said plurality of increments substantiallyuniformlythroughout their widths and to" move saidheatingmeans alongsaid'body to. successive increments; the .combinationlincluding axpendulum carried by saidstress applying mem-.

her, a synchrogtransmitter also carried by said.

stress. applying member and-adapted to be aactuated bylsaidpendulum'sas saidmember isrotated, aicontrolmechanism, :said synchro transmitter beingzconnected electrically: to said control mechanism,-;and.means adapted to couple said control mechanism tosaid .means for moving :said' heating means whereby said means for movingzsaid,

heatingmeans is capableiof rotating saidmechanism through a predetermined angle-while 1moving saidheating 'meansutoca' succeeding increment of said-body.

6. Indicating and'icontrolmeans for aniapparatus adapted to incrementally shape. thermoplastic bodies and having a-stresssapplying. member adapted to rotate through 'apredetermined angle ofarc to successively-shapeapluralityof increments of v athermoplastic-body a: predetermined-amount, heating meansand means-adapted to move said heatingl'means along saidbody to successivelyheat said pluralityofincrem'ents substantially uniformly throughouttheir widths and to move 'said heating means-along said body to successive increments 'oomprising signalgenerabing means-carried by said stress applying membercapable of transmitting a'signal indicative ofthe slope of said stress applying member means, actuated by saidmeans adapted to movesald heating means, for setting'a signal to-a value indicative of the angle of are I saidstress applying means must pass through in-shaping an incrementof said body, and means for'comparing said lastmentioned signal with saidsignal indicative of the slope of said 'stress applyingmember.

HENRY TYLER MARCY. ERNEST MAYER. JGHNFJREEVES;

- REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in? the file. of this patent:

UNITED STATESPATENTS 

